This invention relates to the electrolytic production of peroxide solutions and specifically to the production of alkaline peroxide solutions.
Peroxide solutions are known to spontaneously decompose. The causes for such decomposition are thought to be (1) autodecomposition of the peroxide itself; and (2) catalytic decomposition caused by impurities in the peroxide solution.
Autodecomposition is commonly controlled by adjusting the pH of a peroxide solution to about 4.5 to 5.0, whereas, catalytic decomposition is minimized by adding stabilizing agents to the peroxide solution. Suitable stabilizing agents are known to include such things as stannates, phosphates and 8-hydroxyquinoline (Hydrogen Peroxide; W. C. Schumb, C. N. Satterfield, and R. L. Wentworth; pp. 535-543, Reinhold Publishing Corporation, 1955, New York, New York).
Recently developed electrochemical processes use an alkaline electrolyte to produce an alkaline peroxide solution. The high pH of the electrolyte causes a substantial amount of the peroxide to decompose during electrolysis in the cell. Thus, electrical energy is wasted by producing peroxides which decompose before they can be recovered. This autodecomposition problem is compounded by the usual catalytic decomposition problem.
The present invention concerns a composition and method of forming peroxide solutions which reduces the catalytic decomposition of the peroxide during electrolysis.